18 days, 2,000 miles and 6 countries

We’re sitting in a traditional German beer garden. The backdrop is Neuschwanstein Castle, the very castle that inspired Walt Disney’s magical creation.

- Ellen Manning

A Bavarian Oompah band is playing in the background to mark someone’s wedding, we’re drinking beers called ‘buckets’ and have just ordered a traditional pork knuckle. “I bet you never did anything like this before,” says our new German friend, a guitarist about to play at the wedding reception, as we toast our one-off experience.

He’s right. When else would you find yourself in a small town in the middle of nowhere, making like a local, whilst on holiday? That’s the joy of campervanning and why a European road trip is now our holiday of choice. That and the fact that you can (currently) take your pets with you thanks to European Pet Passports and the pet-friendly Eurotunnel. In previous years we’ve covered France, Italy, bits of Spain and Andorra. This year we decided to head through Belgium to Germany and the holiday haven of the Bodensee using a combination of aires, stellplatz, wild camping and traditional campsites.

Two adults, two Rottweilers and a VW Bus. What could possibly go wrong? We started by missing our scheduled tunnel crossing thanks to English roadworks, but were easily put on the next one and less than an hour after arriving at Calais reached our first stop of Veurne. This is a stereotypically Belgian town complete with a square, lined with restaurants and bars. Apparently a September trip meant we were too late in the season for moules at one restaurant, but a steak substitute was more than adequate. Our route to Germany took us through another Belgian town of Bouillon, home to a secluded aire with views of the imposing fortress high on the hill above the river. This was a perfect example of the unique accommodation four wheels and a bed can provide you with, absolutely free of charge.